Chapter 1

Parties were not Ara’s first choice of place on a Thursday night, but she found an odd comfort in this type of scene. The humid atmosphere of sweaty bodies, ear deafening blast of music, and burning sensation of liquor down made her feel alive, even if she knew she would feel unending regret the following morning. That was tomorrow’s concern, not tonight’s. Ara moves through the crowd like a serpent, making her way to the outdoor lounge where she left her friends. The cool evening air is a fresh take compared to the congested living room, but the burn from the shot of Vodka she just downed in the kitchen was still lingering in .
“He’s so hot.” Chaeyeon gushes, sloppily dangling on Sooyeon’s arm in her half-wasted state. Ara plops down beside the duo, raising a brow in confusion.
“Who?” Ara questions, handing a bottle of beer to Sooyeon.
“Who else?” Sooyeon rolls her eyes, clearly annoyed with Chaeyeon’s endless banter.

Ara spots him from across the green yard. She’s never met him before, but just from the radiating aura around him, she knew. Byun Baekhyun. She’s only heard rumors about the mysterious blond who appeared on campus a month ago and from the sounds of it, he was bad news. For only being back for a few weeks, he already has a hefty reputation in his hands. Hefty was an understatement.

Baekhyun was the new residential It boy here, which meant he was also the newly proclaimed campus boy. From what she heard, he had spent his first year of college in Los Angeles and, as Chaeyeon liked to say, Korea University was blessed to have him back. The girls were head over heels for his LA style and manners. Baekhyun represented something new and exotic. He was confident in a different way; almost too confident it could be considered toxic. It probably helps that Baekhyun was undeniably dripping in appeal. He could get any girl on their knees and he knows it, hence the list of girls he’s already rampaged through. He ran through girls like there was no tomorrow. Ara can’t count the number of times she’d overhear a random girl crying her heart out over the man in the past month.

“He’s not even all that.” Ara shrugs as she pops open her beer bottle. Chaeyeon scoffs in disbelief.
“Sorry, not all of us can be Kai’s girlfriend.” Ara only smugly grins in response. Kim Jongin, otherwise known as Kai, was Ara’s newly claimed boyfriend. After a whole year of playing cat and mouse, they finally made it official over the summer, to Ara’s relief. She had her eyes and heart set on Kai since the first day of freshman year when she stumbled into him at the library. His troublemaker aura was alluring in all the right ways and innocent freshman Ara’s heart was utterly trapped.
“I deserve that title.” Ara nods her head with resolution.
“After all the stuff you’ve done for him, it would be a waste if you didn’t.” Sooyeon rolls her eyes. She could still vividly all the ridiculous changes Ara invested in. Freshman Ara wouldn’t even be able recognize herself if she were to look in the mirror right now. Ara had done everything in her power to get noticed by Kai over the past year from showing up to every campus party to divulging in his every request, slowly becoming his type. The type of girl who parties 24/7 and is the epitome of a man’s ual fantasy.
 

Ara finds herself back in the kitchen, digging through the cooler for Chaeyeon’s favorite drink. Her fingertips briskly scoop through the ice cubes, ignoring the coolness with determination.
“There has to be at least one more.” Ara mutters as she bends down further.
“I like what I see…” The voice causes the hair on her arm to rise. It was like honey, dripping with sweetness and too much of it would trap her. Immediately, Ara rises, twirling around to hide her and embarrassingly pulls down the edge of her skirt. The sight of a certain blond leaning against the kitchen island takes her off guard. Byun Baekhyun. Up close, he was ethereal. His brown irises hold an amused flicker and glow with a startling dominance. Maybe Chaeyeon was right. Byun Baekhyun was hot.
“Looking for this?” Baekhyun raises his right hand, showcasing the bright blue labeled drink.
“Yeah,” She reaches for the drink, but her palm hangs in the air ignored as the blond takes a giant sip instead.
“Or not.” Ara mutters, letting her hand drop.
“I know where they keep the rest. I’ll give you one if you join Spin the Bottle outside.” Baekhyun says, casually leaning against the kitchen counter like a model. He tilts his head in the direction of the backyard where a few people are already forming a circle on the lawn, not failing to show off his sculpted jawline in the process. Ara’s cheeks burn just slightly at the sight. His aura was smoldering through the still air.
“Taken girls don’t join party game